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An Upper Marlboro woman whose body was found last week in Aquasco begged for her life before she was allegedly shot by her boyfriend, according to police charging documents.

Maris Wilkerson, 45, who lived at the 9600 block of Meadow Lark Avenue, made a telephone call to Auto Anything, a store in San Diego, at 12:03 a.m. June 26 and said, "I don't want to die, Aaron," according to the documents.

"Die," a male voice replied, the documents state.

Investigators say that man was Aaron Dion Spriggs, 33, Wilkerson's live-in boyfriend, who was arrested July 9, two days after Wilkerson's body was found, and charged with first-degree murder.

The charging documents state that a neighbor reported hearing a gunshot and a woman screaming shortly after the call began. On June 26, Spriggs contacted the police to report that Wilkerson, 33, was missing, and the next day came into a police station to write a report, the documents state.

Spriggs told police that he had a fight with Wilkerson earlier that day at the WOW Café and Wingery in Waldorf after he was found with another woman. He said the argument continued when the couple returned to the house, where he claimed Wilkerson had taken her keys and cell phone and walked out, according to the charging documents.

Police found Wilkerson's body in the woods near St. Phillips Road, a quiet, residential street. The state medical examiner's office ruled that she died of gunshot wounds, according to police.

On Friday, Wilkerson's friends and neighbors held a memorial in her honor.

Two Corvettes rolled to a quiet stop in front of her house, and Charles Clark emerged from his car with a bouquet of red and yellow flowers.

Within minutes, a half-dozen members of the local Corvette Club had gathered to remember Wilkerson. They said they were shocked by her death and said she was a good person and an adventurous woman who liked racing exotic cars.

"I'm just thinking about not having her to race anymore," said Charles Rogers of Upper Marlboro, who added that he met Wilkerson every Friday evening to race on local roads. "She used to call me up and say, ‘Let's ride.'"

Friends said they feared the worst when they realized that Wilkerson — who they said usually was reliable — could not be contacted after June 25 and was not taking care of her dogs.

Clark walked slowly to a chain link fence in front of the house and inserted the flowers between two metal links. Another bouquet already was there, but nobody was sure from where it came.

Jackie Hicks, an Upper Marlboro resident, lit small devotional candles on the concrete driveway. She then lit white candles she handed to other members of the Corvette Club, a group of car enthusiasts who get together for car shows and other events. They made a circle, touched the tips of the candles together, and prayed for strength — and for Wilkerson's five children, who, they said, are adults living in Hawaii.

Spriggs did not have an attorney listed in court records on Monday afternoon. Two restraining orders were issued against him on behalf of two different women, in October 2006 and October 2007, according to court records. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. Aug. 6 at the courthouse in Upper Marlboro.

Wilkerson was not formally a member of the Corvette Club, but was about to join the group, members said.

Friends who went to the memorial said they never heard Wilkerson talk about Spriggs or give any indication that she was in danger.

"She never alluded to anything like that," Clark said. "She never said anything."

Friends said she used to be married to a man who died several years ago in a motorcycle accident. Asked for details, they pointed to an inscription that was carved into the driveway: "In loving memory of Kevin B. Wilkerson: 04/17/65-03/01/06."

Those in attendance had varied reactions to the news of Spriggs' arrest. Some, such as neighbor Michelle Brister, said they felt relieved that police have a suspect in custody.

"I'm just so glad she was found," said Brister. "At last we have closure."

But Hicks said she would not be satisfied until someone is convicted. Members of the Corvette Club plan to attend Spriggs' court appearances, she said.

"You better believe we'll be there," she said. "She was the sweetest woman. God bless her."

But as the sun started to set over the neighborhood, most of Wilkerson's friends seemed content to remember what she was like in life.

"She had so much life still," said Charles Clark, a Clinton resident. "She was just so jolly. Remember? She was just so jolly."

E-mail Greg Holzheimer at gholzheimer@gazette.net.